If you are new to the care of hamsters, you may have wondered what the correct diet for your furry friend is. The hamster has now become a very common pet. Even though it is a very small and easy pet to look after, it is important to take the best possible care of it, starting with its feeding.
The hamster is a granivorous animal
The hamster is a grain-eating animal. This means that in nature it feeds mainly on seeds. However, its diet also includes plants, tubers and insects. The aim is to be able to provide the hamster with a diet as varied as possible, regardless of its species. By doing so, it will have all the nutrients it needs for its sustenance.
When buying appropriate food for your hamster, it is very important to look for quality, nutritious food and seed mixes in specialised shops and pet shops. Alternatively, you can opt for sugar-free muesli that can easily be bought in supermarkets and are also perfect for our pets because they are healthy and have a high nutritional value.
Another solution we can adopt for hamster feeding is to take care of it ourselves with what we have at home. One solution is to provide small amounts of cooked pasta, bread or cereals without sugar, which are perfect carbohydrates for feeding the hamster. Chocolate, sweets, biscuits, snacks and all those foods that contain too much sugar and fat should be avoided.
Vegetables: yes or no?
Rodents are great appreciators of vegetables. Cooked or raw is not important, the main thing is to eat them! There are two things to know:
- avoid solanaceae: aubergines, green parts of tomatoes as they are highly toxic;
- avoid houseplants because they are in most cases poisonous to hamsters.
All vegetables must be well washed and always fresh. This step is crucial because the hamster is used to storing its food for a long time without realising that it will deteriorate.
The place where food is stored is important for its preservation. The FPI 4704 feeder , ensures an adequate ration for the small rodent, so that the food remains fragrant until consumed and is not wasted. Field vegetables such as clover and dandelion are also excellent foods for proper hamster nutrition. The important thing is to pay attention to where the vegetables come from, so that they do not grow in places where pesticides are usually spread. If you want to treat them to a delicious gift, mealworms or honeycomb moths are the right choice. It is particularly rich in fat and much loved by rodents.
How much does a hamster drink
To supplement the feeding, fresh, clean water must be available to the hamster at all times via drinking bottles. Ferplast Sippy 4674 drinking bottle is ideal because it can be easily filled with water without having to remove it, and thanks to its convenient suction cups, it can be easily attached to a net, but also to smooth surfaces such as plastic walls or glass. For the hamster’s health, it is really important to pay attention to the amount of water it drinks during the day. If it already eats a rich amount of fruit and vegetables but is looking for a lot of water, there might be a problem. Probably the foods the hamster eats are very sugary and this can lead to some diabetic problems. In such cases, you should contact your veterinarian.
As we said, providing the right nutrition for your hamster is not that difficult! Always offer fresh, healthy food so that the small rodent can grow up healthy and in good shape.